Carter’s career-high 18 carry Washington over Utah, 69-53

Crisp was 5 of-7 and Carter 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and the Husky defense held the Utes to season low in points.

Jayce Johnson led the Utes with 12 points before leaving the game in the final minutes after getting hit in the face and falling to the court. Donnie Tillman had 10 for the Utes, who missed 24 of their 30 3-point attempts.

Both teams were knocked from their normal offensive flows by the defensive pressure at times. The Utes also played man-to-man defense but the Huskies stuck with their trademark zone and extended it to chase the Utes off the 3-point line or force awkward attempts.

The Huskies’ quick hands and length created dozens of deflections, forced 16 turnovers and nine blocked shots. The Utes were determined to pass into the middle of the zone but even when the ball got there, they often couldn’t navigate the gauntlet of collapsing defenders.

Washington won its first true road game and has now logged four wins in a row, snapping Utah’s six-game winning streak in the series.

Following his season high of 23 against Washington State last week, Crisp had a no-hesitation release even when closely guarded. Utah led 15-13 before Crisp buried four straight 3s. Since Pac-12 play began, the Huskies have suddenly found their touch from beyond the arc, hitting 41 percent.

Jaylen Nowell and Noah Dickerson, Washington’s leading scorers, had a combined two points at halftime and yet the Huskies led 38-30.

The Huskies made a concerted effort to feed Dickerson on the post and he responded with seven straight points to open the second half and Washington led by 15.

A rare Utah 3-pointer by Sedrick Barefield got the Utes back within 47-42, but the Huskies ratcheted up the pressure once again and went on a 12-0 run, capped by Carter’s jumper to make it 59-42.

BIG PICTURE

Washington: The Huskies rely on defense and they smothered the Utes and reversed their usual struggles in Utah, snapping a five-game losing streak in Salt Lake City. If the Washington perimeter shooters can extend their recent hot shooting and pair it with Dickerson’s low-post scoring, then the Huskies have a good chance of staying near the top of the Pac-12 standings.

Utah: The Utes hoped to capitalize on their strong opening weekend showing in Arizona when they beat Arizona State and took the Wildcats to overtime before losing. But some of their offensive struggles resurfaced and they could never get comfortable operating against the Washington zone. After scoring 33, 24 and 26 points, Barefield managed just six points on 2-of-10 shooting and no other Utes were able to get a rhythm.